LOGAN, Utah - Southern Utah and BYU officially opened competition during the 2023 season, competing at the Super 16 Meet in Las Vegas, Nev., as the Thunderbirds won their group with the Cougars finishing fourth. The meet generated individual highlights as the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference selected its weekly Gymnast and Specialists of the Week for the first round of competition in 2023.
SUU freshman Kayla Pardue led the Thunderbirds on vault with a collegiate-debut 9.850 on the event as the T-Birds posted victories over Washington (195.475), North Carolina (194.625) and Fisk's newly-minted gymnastics program (188.150). For her performance, Pardue has been named the MRGC Vault Specialist of the Week.
The Cougars and Thunderbirds shared MRGC Bars Specialists of the Week honors as another SUU freshman, Trista Goodman, and BYU senior Anyssa Alvarado each scored matching 9.900s on the event. Goodman's mark tied for the best in the session alongside Georgia's Josie Angeny.
On beam, BYU senior picked up right where she left off a season ago after earning 2022 MRGC Beam Specialist of the Year by leading the Cougars with 9.900 on the event in Las Vegas to earn MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week accolades.
Southern Utah captured the final two weekly honors as T-Bird junior Hailey Vultaggio scored a 9.875 on floor to earn MRGC Floor Specialist of the Week honors, while SUU senior Karley McClain logged a 39.175 in the all-around en route to MRGC Gymnast of the Week honors.
The Thunderbirds will open the second week of competition in the MRGC on Monday, Jan. 9, hosting New Hampshire before joining fellow MRGC foes BYU and Utah State in the Best of Utah Meet on Friday, Jan. 13. Boise State then kicks off its 2023 slate at the Wasatch Classic Quad, competing alongside UCLA, Minnesota and Washington on Saturday, Jan. 14.
The 2023 MRGC Championships will be hosted by Southern Utah on Saturday, March 18. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Southern Utah ticket office at 435-586-7872 or by visiting the Southern Utah ticket office online at www.suutbirds.com.
The Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference is one of only two NCAA Division I gymnastics-only conferences in the nation and is made up of member institutions: Boise State University (Boise, Idaho), Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah), Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah) and Utah State University (Logan, Utah).
Vault Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Kayla Pardue, SUU (9.850)
Bar Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Trista Goodman, SUU (9.900)
Anyssa Alvarado, BYU (9.900)
Beam Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Elease Rollins, BYU (9.900)
Floor Specialist of the Week
WK1 - Hailey Vultaggio, SUU (9.875)
Gymnast of the Week
WK1 - Karley McClain, SUU (39.175)
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